Search results for: nutritional benefit

Authors: Walter E. Allen, Robert D. Murray

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Many large transit agencies have adopted RFID technology and electronic automatic fare collection (AFC) or smart card systems, but small and rural agencies remain tied to obsolete manual, cash-based fare collection. Small countries or transit agencies can benefit from the implementation of smart card AFC technology with the promise of increased passenger convenience, added passenger satisfaction and improved agency efficiency. For transit agencies, it reduces revenue loss, improves passenger flow and bus stop data. For countries, further implementation into security, distribution of social services or currency transactions can provide greater benefits. However, small countries or transit agencies cannot afford expensive proprietary smart card solutions typically offered by the major system suppliers. Deployment of Contactless Fare Media System (CFMS) Standard eliminates the proprietary solution, ultimately lowering the cost of implementation. Acumen Building Enterprise, Inc. chose the Yuma County Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (YCIPTA) existing proprietary YCAT smart card system to implement CFMS. The revised system enables the purchase of fare product online with prepaid debit or credit cards using the Payment Gateway Processor. Open and interoperable smart card standards for transit have been developed. During the 90-day Pilot Operation conducted, the transit agency gathered the data from the bus AcuFare 200 Card Reader, loads (copies) the data to a USB Thumb Drive and uploads the data to the Acumen Host Processing Center for consolidation of the data into the transit agency master data file. The transition from the existing proprietary smart card data format to the new CFMS smart card data format was transparent to the transit agency cardholders. It was proven that open standards and interoperability design can work and reduce both implementation and operational costs for small transit agencies or countries looking to expand smart card technology. Acumen was able to avoid the implementation of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) which is expensive to develop and costly to operate on a continuing basis. Due to the substantial additional complexities of implementation and the variety of options presented to the transit agency cardholder, Acumen chose to implement only the Directed Autoload. To improve the implementation efficiency and the results for a similar undertaking, it should be considered that some passengers lack credit cards and are averse to technology. There are more than 1,300 small and rural agencies in the United States. This grows by 10 fold when considering small countries or rural locations throughout Latin American and the world. Acumen is evaluating additional countries, sites or transit agency that can benefit from the smart card systems. Frequently, payment card systems require extensive security procedures for implementation. The Project demonstrated the ability to purchase fare value, rides and passes with credit cards on the internet at a reasonable cost without highly complex security requirements.

Keywords: automatic fare collection, near field communication, small transit agencies, smart cards

Procedia PDF Downloads 282

Authors: Ali Christian Chinedu, Asogwa Vincent Chidindu, Ejiofor Toochukwu Eleazar, Okadi Ashagwu Ojang

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The increasing rate of Boko Haram insurgency, farmer-herder clashes, and kidnapping in Nigeria has resulted in food shortages and high cost of protein sources like beef and fish. This challenge could be curbed with the production of edible insects, which contain several nutritional benefits like calories, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals, depending on their species, metamorphic stage, and diet. Unfortunately, the benefits and competencies in producing, preserving, and marketing edible insects are still unknown to the public, including prospective farmers in Nigeria. Hence, this study determined teachers’ perception of integrating edible insects into the Animal Husbandry Curriculum in Senior Secondary Schools in Nigeria to equip the future generation with the relevant competencies for alternative sustainable protein supply. The study was carried out in Enugu State, Nigeria. The participants for the study comprised 162 agricultural science teachers. A questionnaire titled: Edible Insects Integration in Animal Husbandry Curriculum Questionnaire (EIIAHCQ) was used to collect data using a descriptive survey research design. We conducted data collection with the help of six research assistants. The study identified 11 objectives, 11 contents, 10 teaching methods, and 9 evaluation methods that could be integrated into the existing curriculum of animal husbandry in Nigeria. Among others, the Ministry of Education should integrate the finding of this study into the curriculum of Animal Husbandry in Nigeria to enhance the protein supply and curb food insecurity now and in the future.

Keywords: animal husbandry curriculum, edible insects, entomophagy, integration, secondary school, Nigeria

Procedia PDF Downloads 91

Authors: Shuen-Tai Wang, Yu-Ching Lin

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With more and more workflow systems adopting cloud as their execution environment, it presents various challenges that need to be addressed in order to be utilized efficiently. This paper introduces a method for resource provisioning based on our previous research of dynamic allocation and its pipeline processes. We present an abstraction for workload scheduling in which independent tasks get scheduled among various available processors of distributed computing for optimization. We also propose an integrated web-based workflow designer by taking advantage of the HTML5 technology and chaining together multiple tools. In order to make the combination of multiple pipelines executing on the cloud in parallel, we develop a script translator and an execution engine for workflow management in the cloud. All information is known in advance by the workflow engine and tasks are allocated according to the prior knowledge in the repository. This proposed effort has the potential to provide support for process definition, workflow enactment and monitoring of workflow processes. Users would benefit from the web-based system that allows creation and execution of pipelines without scripting knowledge.

Keywords: workflow systems, resources provisioning, workload scheduling, web-based, workflow engine

Procedia PDF Downloads 158

Authors: Hafiz Muhammad Umer Aslam, Mohammad Rafiq Khan

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This techno-economic study reports the feasibility of generating thermoelectric power from municipal solid waste (MSW) of Kasur City by incineration process. The data was gathered from different establishments of Kasur, through appropriate permission from their heads, and processed to design different alternative projects for installation of a thermal power plant in the city of Kasur. A technique of discounted cash flow was used to evaluate alternative projects so that their Benefit to Cost Ratio, Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return and Payback Period can be determined. The study revealed that Kasur City currently consumes 18MWh electricity and generates 179 tons/day MSW. The generated waste has the ability to produce 2.1MWh electricity at the cost of USD 0.0581/unit with an expenditure of USD 3,907,692 as initial fixed investment of forming about 1/7th of consumption of Kasur. The cost from this source, when compared to current rate of electricity in Pakistan (USD 0.1346), is roughly half.

Keywords: Kasur City, resource recovery, thermoelectric power, waste management

Procedia PDF Downloads 168

Authors: Hsiao-Tseng Lin, Nguyen Ngoc Dat, Szu-Mei Hsiao, R. J. Hernández-Díaz

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The practitioner system has become an important tool for universities working to shrink the gap between industry and vocational education. Beginning in 2015, Meiho University conducted a consecutive three-year program for teaching excellence, funded in part by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, with a total project funding of over $2.5 million USD. One of the highlights of this program is the recruitment of 300 industry practitioners to participate in collaborative teaching, a dual-mentor system, and curriculum planning. More than 60% of the practitioners boast more than 10 years of practical industry experience, and 52% of them have earned master's degree or higher. Students rated their overall program satisfaction over 4.5(out of 5.0) on average. This study explores the perspectives of academics and industry practitioners using in-depth interviews and surveys, along with an examination of the challenges of the practitioner system. The paper enables the framing of practitioner system policies by vocational education institutions and industry to facilitate more effective and efficient transfer of knowledge between academics and practitioners, leading to enhanced university competitive advantage, which would ultimately benefit society.

Keywords: collaborative teaching, industry practitioners, practitioner system, vocational education

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Authors: S. S. Patil, B. U. Janugade, S. V. Patil

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Pulsatile systems are gaining a lot of interest as they deliver the drug at the right site of action at the right time and in the right amount, thus providing spatial and temporal delivery thus increasing patient compliance. These systems are designed according to the circadian rhythm of the body. Chronotherapeutics is the discipline concerned with the delivery of drugs according to inherent activities of a disease over a certain period of time. It is becoming increasingly more evident that the specific time that patients take their medication may be even more significant than was recognized in the past. The tradition of prescribing medication at evenly spaced time intervals throughout the day, in an attempt to maintain constant drug levels throughout a 24-hour period, may be changing as researcher’s report that some medications may work better if their administration is coordinated with day-night patterns and biological rhythms. The potential benefits of chronotherapeutics have been demonstrated in the management of a number of diseases. In particular, there is a great deal of interest in how chronotherapy can particularly benefit patients suffering from allergic rhinitis, rheumatoid arthritis and related disorders, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and peptic ulcer disease.

Keywords: pulsatile drug delivery, chronotherapeutics, circadian rhythm, asthma, chronobiology

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Authors: Jasminka Mujic, Karin Milde-Langosch, Volkmar Mueller, Mirza Suljagic, Tea Becirevic, Jozo Coric, Daria Ler

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MACC1 (metastasis associated in colon cancer-1) is a prognostic biomarker for tumor progression, metastasis, and survival of a variety of solid cancers. MACC1 also causes tumor growth in xenograft models and acts as a master regulator of the HGF/MET signaling pathway. In breast cancer, the expression of MACC1 determined by immunohistochemistry was significantly associated with positive lymph node status and advanced clinical stage. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the prognostic or predictive value of MACC1 expression in breast cancer using western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. The results of our study have shown that high MACC1 expression in breast cancer is associated with shorter disease-free survival, especially in node-negative tumors. The MACC1 might be a suitable biomarker to select patients with a higher probability of recurrence which might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Our results support a biologic role and potentially open the perspective for the use of MACC1 as predictive biomarker for treatment decision in breast cancer patients.

Keywords: breast cancer, biomarker, HGF/MET, MACC1

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Authors: Zainab Bibi, Afsheen Aman, Shah Ali Ul Qader

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Endo-β-1,4-xylanases [EC 3.2.1.8] are one of the major groups of enzymes that are involved in degradation process of xylan and have several applications in food, textile and paper processing industries. Due to broad utility of endo-β-1,4-xylanase, researchers are focusing to increase the productivity of this hydrolase from various microbial species. Harsh industrial condition, faster reaction rate and efficient hydrolysis of xylan with low risk of contamination are critical requirements of industry that can be fulfilled by synthesizing the enzyme with efficient properties. In the current study, a newly isolated thermophile Geobacillus stearothermophilus KIBGE-IB29 was used in order to attain the maximum production of endo-1,4-β-xylanase. Bacterial culture was isolated from soil, collected around the blast furnace site of a steel processing mill, Karachi. Optimization of various nutritional and physical factors resulted the maximum synthesis of endo-1,4-β-xylanase from a thermophile. High production yield was achieved at 60°C and pH-6.0 after 24 hours of incubation period. Various nitrogen sources viz. peptone, yeast extract and meat extract improved the enzyme synthesis with 0.5%, 0.2% and 0.1% optimum concentrations. Dipotassium hydrogen phosphate (0.25%), potassium dihydrogen phosphate (0.05%), ammonium sulfate (0.05%) and calcium chloride (0.01%) were noticed as valuable salts to improve the production of enzyme. The thermophilic nature of isolate, with its broad pH stability profile and reduced fermentation time indicates its importance for effective xylan saccharification and for large scale production of endo-1,4-β-xylanase.

Keywords: geobacillus, optimization, production, xylanase

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Authors: Irum Naz

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In the Arabian higher education context, linguistic proficiency in the English language is considered crucial for the developmental sustainability, economic growth, and stability of communities and societies. Qatar’s educational reforms package, through the 2030 vision, identifies the acquisition of English at K-12 as an essential survival communication tool for globalization, believing that Qatari students need better preparation to take on the responsibilities of leadership and to participate effectively in the country’s surging economy. The idea of introducing Qatari students to modern curricula benchmarked to high-student-performance curricula in developed countries is one of the components of reformatory design principles of Education for New Era reform project that is mutually consented to and supported by the Office of Shared Services, Communications Office, and Supreme Education Council. In appreciation of the government’s vision, the English Language Centre (ELC) at the Community College of Qatar ran an internal educational audit and conducted evaluative research to understand and appraise the value, impact, and practicality of the existing ELC language development program. This study sought to identify the type of change that could identify and improve the quality of Foundation Program courses and the manners in which second language learners could be assisted to transit smoothly between (ELC) levels. Following the interpretivist paradigm and mixed research method, the data was gathered through a bicyclic research model and a triangular design. The analyses of the data suggested that there was a need for improvement in the ELC program as a whole, and particularly in terms of curriculum, student learning outcomes, and the general learning environment in the department. Key findings suggest that the target program would benefit from significant revisions, which would include narrowing the focus of the courses, providing sets of specific learning objectives, and preventing repetition between levels. Another promising finding was about the assessment tools and process. The data suggested that a set of standardized assessments that more closely suited the programs of study should be devised. It was also recommended that students undergo a more comprehensive placement process to ensure that they begin the program at an appropriate level and get the maximum benefit from their learning experience. Although this ties into the idea of curriculum revamp, it was expected that students could leave the ELC having had exposure to courses in English for specific purposes. The idea of a more reliable exit assessment for students was raised frequently so ELC could regulate itself and ensure optimum learning outcomes. Another important recommendation was the provision of a Student Learning Center for students that would help them to receive personalized tuition, differentiated instruction, and self-driven and self-evaluated learning experience. In addition, an extra study level was recommended to be added to the program to accommodate the different levels of English language proficiency represented among ELC students. The evidence collected in the course of conducting the study suggests that significant change is needed in the structure of the ELC program, specifically about curriculum, the program learning outcomes, and the learning environment in general.

Keywords: educational audit, ESL, optimum learning outcomes, Qatar’s educational reforms, self-driven and self-evaluated learning experience, Student Learning Center

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Authors: Syed Ahmed Hasnain

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Instructors’ perception of blended learning plays an important role in the field of education. The literature review shows that there is a gap in research. Instructor perception of the blended learning approach has an impact on the motivation of the instructor to use technology in the classroom. The role of the student's perspective on the instructor’s perception is also important. Research also shows that instructor perceptions can be changed based on their past and present experiences with technology and blended learning. This paper draws the attention of the readers to the need for further research and contributions to studying instructor perceptions globally. Instructor perception affects the implementation of technology in the classroom, instructor-student relationship, and the class environment. Various publications, literature reviews, and articles are studied to show the importance of instructor perceptions. A lot of work has been published on student perceptions of the blended learning approach but there is a gap in research on instructor perceptions. The paper also makes recommendations for further research in the area of instructor perceptions of the blended learning approach. Institutions, administrators, senior management, and instructors can benefit from this paper.

Keywords: blended learning, education, literature review, instructor perceptions

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Authors: Adepoju Abiola Lydia, Adeyanju James Abiodun, Abioye A. O.

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Spray drying, an innovative and sustainable preservation method, is increasingly gaining recognition for its potential to enhance food security by extending the shelf life of fruits. This technique involves the atomization of fruit pulp into fine droplets, followed by rapid drying with hot air, resulting in a powdered product that retains much of the original fruit's nutritional value, flavor, and color. By encapsulating sensitive bioactive compounds within a dry matrix, spray drying mitigates nutrient degradation and extends product usability. This technology aligns with sustainability goals by reducing post-harvest losses, minimizing the need for preservatives, and lowering energy consumption compared to conventional drying methods. Furthermore, spray drying enables the use of imperfect or surplus fruits, contributing to waste reduction and providing a continuous supply of nutritious fruit-based ingredients regardless of seasonal variations. The powdered form enhances versatility, allowing incorporation into various food products, thus broadening the scope of fruit utilization. Innovations in spray drying, such as the use of novel carrier agents and optimization of processing parameters, enhance the quality and functionality of the final product. Moreover, the scalability of spray drying makes it suitable for both industrial applications and smaller-scale operations, supporting local economies and food systems. In conclusion, spray drying stands out as a key technology in enhancing food security by ensuring a stable supply of high-quality, nutritious food ingredients while fostering sustainable agricultural practices.

Keywords: spray drying, sustainable, process parameters, carrier agents, fruits

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Authors: Uchegbu Nneka Nkechi, Okoye Ogochukwu Peace

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The evaluation of the visco-elastic properties and microbial quality of a formulated oat-based dietetic food were investigated. Oat flour, pumpkin seed flour, carrot flour and skimmed milk powder were blended in varying proportions to formulate a product with codes OCF, which contains 70% oat flour, 10 % carrot flour, 10 % pumpkin seed flour and 10% skimmed milk powder, OCF which contains 65 % oat flour, 10 % carrot flour, 10 % pumpkin seed flour and 15 % skimmed milk powder, OCF which contains 60 % oat flour, 10 % carrot flour, 10 % pumpkin seed flour and 20 % skimmed milk powder, OCF which contains 55 % oat flour, 10 % carrot flour, 10 % pumpkin seed flour and 25 % skimmed milk powder and OF with 95 % oat as the commercial control. All the samples were assessed for their proximate composition, microbial quality and visco-elastic properties. The moisture content was highest at sample OF (10.73%) and lowest at OCF (7.10%) (P<0.05). Crude protein ranged from 13.38%-22.86%, with OCF having the highest (P<0.05) protein content and OF having the lowest. Crude fat was 3.74% for OCF and 6.31% for OF. Crude fiber ranged from 3.58% - 17.39% with OF having the lowest (P<0.05) fiber content and OCF having the highest. Ash content was 1.30% for OCF and 2.75% for OCF. There was no mold growth in the samples. The total viable ml/wl count ranged from 1.5×10³ cfu/g - 2.6×10³ cfu/g, with OCF having the lowest and OF having the highest (P<0.05) total viable count. The peak viscosity of the sample ranged from 75.00 cP-2895.00 cP, with OCF having the lowest and OF having the highest value. The final viscosity was 130.50 cP in OCF and 3572.50 cP in OF. The setback viscosity was 58.00 cP in OCF and 1680.50 cP in OF. The peak time was 6.93 mins in OCF to 5.57 mins in OF. There was no pasting temperature for all samples except the OF, which had 86.43. Sample OF was the highest in terms of overall acceptability. This study showed that the oat-based composite flour produced had a nutritional profile that would be acceptable for the aged population.

Keywords: dietetic, pumpkin, visco-elastic, microbial

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Authors: Kubra Dogan, Fatih Tornuk

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Due to increasing consumer demand for the high-quality food products and awareness regarding the health benefits of different nutrients in food minimal processing becomes more popular in modern food preservation. To date, heat treatment is often used for inactivation of spoilage microorganisms in foods. However, it may cause significant changes in the quality and nutritional properties of food. In order to overcome the detrimental effects of heat treatment, several alternatives of non-thermal microbial inactivation processes have been investigated. Ultraviolet (UV) inactivation is a promising and feasible method for better quality and longer shelf life as an alternative to heat treatment, which aims to inhibit spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms and to inactivate the enzymes in vegetable juice production. UV-C is a sub-class of UV treatment which shows the highest microcidal effect between 250-270 nm. The wavelength of 254 nm is used for the surface disinfection of certain liquid food products such as vegetable juice. Effects of UV-C treatment on microbiological load and quality parameter of vegetable juice which is a mix of celery, carrot, lemon and orange was investigated. Our results showed that storing of UV-C applied vegetable juice for three months, reduced the count of TMAB by 3.5 log cfu/g and yeast-mold by 2 log cfu/g compared to control sample. Total phenolic content was found to be 514.3 ± 0.6 mg gallic acid equivalent/L, and there wasn’t a significant difference compared to control. The present work suggests that UV-C treatment is an alternative method for disinfection of vegetable juice since it enables adequate microbial inactivation, longer shelf life and has minimal effect on degradation of quality parameters of vegetable juice.

Keywords: heat treatment, phenolic content, shelf life, ultraviolet (UV-C), vegetable juice

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Authors: Adil Elrayah, Jie Weng, Esra Suliman

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The mineral in human bone is not pure stoichiometric calcium phosphate (Ca/P) as it is partially substituted by in organic elements. In this study, the copper ions (Cu²⁺) substituted hydroxyapatite (CuHA) powder has been synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The CuHA powder has been used to fabricate CuHA fiber scaffolds by sol-gel process and the following sinter process. The resulted CuHA fibers have slightly different microstructure (i.e. porosity) compared to HA fiber scaffold, which is denser. The mechanical properties test was used to evaluate CuHA, and the results showed decreases in both compression strength and hardness tests. Moreover, the in vitro used endothelial cells to evaluate the angiogenesis of CuHA. The result illustrated that the viability of endothelial cell on CuHA fiber scaffold surfaces tends to antigenic behavior. The results obtained with CuHA scaffold give this material benefit in biological applications such as antimicrobial, antitumor, antigens, compacts, filling cavities of the tooth and for the deposition of metal implants anti-tumor, anti-cancer, bone filler, and scaffold.

Keywords: fiber scaffold, copper ions, hydroxyapatite, in vitro, mechanical property

Procedia PDF Downloads 154

Authors: Natalia Khvorostianov, Larissa Remennick

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Recent immigrants seldom join the ranks of volunteers for various social causes. This gap reflects both material reasons (immigrants’ lower income and lack of free time) and cultural differences (value systems, religiosity, language barrier, attitudes towards host society, etc.). Immigrants from the former socialist countries are particularly averse to organized forms of volunteering for a host of reasons rooted in their past, including the memories of false or forced forms of collectivism imposed by the state. In this qualitative study, based on 21 semi-structured interviews, we explored the perceptions and practices of volunteer work among FSU immigrants - participants in one volunteering project run by an Israeli NGO for the benefit of elderly ex-Soviet immigrants. Our goal was to understand the motivations of immigrant volunteers and the role of volunteering in the processes of their own social and economic integration in their adopted country – Israel. The results indicate that most volunteers chose causes targeting fellow immigrants, their resettlement and well-being, and were motivated by the wish to build co-ethnic support network and overcome marginalization in the Israeli society. Other volunteers were driven by the need for self-actualization in the context of underemployment and occupational downgrading.

Keywords: FSU immigrants, integration, volunteering, participation, social capital

Procedia PDF Downloads 389

Authors: Abdur Rahman, Saima, T. N. Pasha, Muhammad Younus, Yassar Abbas, Shahid Jaleel

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Non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) are not completely digested by broiler endogenous enzymes and consequently the soluble NSPs in feed results in high digesta viscosity and poor retention of nutrients. Supplementation of NSPs digesting enzymes may release the nutrients from feed and reduce the anti-nutritional effects of NSP’s. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of NSPs digesting enzymes (Zympex) in broiler chicks. A total of 120 day old broiler chicks (Hubbard) were categorized into 3 treatments and each treatment was having four replicates with 10 birds in each. Dietary treatments comprised of Basal diet (2740 KCal/Kg) as control-1 (T1), low energy diet (2630 KCal/kg) control-2 (T2) and low energy diet with 0.5 gm/Kg enzyme as T3. Multi-enzymes supplementation showed significant (P < 0.05) positive effect on weight gain (last three weeks), feed intake (last two weeks), FCR (1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th) and nutrient retention in T3 when compared with control-2. Weight gain was lower (P < 0.05) in low caloric feed group C when compared with control-1 in all weeks except last week (P > 0.05), feed consumption was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in 5th week and results showed significantly poor FCR (P < 0.05) in 2nd, 3rd and 4th week but non-significant effect in 1st and 5th week when compared with control-1 group, which revealed the positive effect of enzyme supplementation in low energy diet. These results revealed that enzyme supplementation releases more energy from low energy diets and results in equal performance to normal diet.

Keywords: body weight, FCR, feed intake, enzyme, non-starch polysaccharides

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Authors: Theena Thayalan, K. N. Ramesh Babu

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Machining induced residual stress (RS) is one of the most important surface integrity parameters that characterize the near surface layer of a mechanical component, which plays a crucial role in controlling the performance, especially its fatigue life. Since experimental determination of RS is expensive and time consuming, it would be of great benefit if they could be predicted. In such case, it would be possible to select the cutting parameters required to produce a favorable RS profile. In the present study, an effort has been made to develop a 'two dimensional finite element model (FEM)' to simulate orthogonal cutting process and to predict surface and sub-surface RS using the commercial FEA software DEFORM-2D. The developed finite element model has been validated through experimental investigation of RS. In the experimentation, the orthogonal cutting tests were carried out on AISI 4340 by varying the cutting speed (VC) and uncut chip thickness (f) at three levels and the surface & sub-surface RS has been measured using XRD and Electro polishing techniques. The comparison showed that the RS obtained using developed numerical model is in reasonable agreement with that of experimental data.

Keywords: FEM, machining, residual stress, XRF

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Authors: Nessreen Elmelegy

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Fashion is all about being fun, stylish and looking beautiful in your own way, whether it is with clothes, accessories, hairstyles, and even furniture. There are never ending ways and sources when wanting to seek inspiration. Fashion designers can get inspired by anything and everything that encompasses them in their everyday lives. When getting inspired, there are no boundaries or limits to when it comes to exploring one's originality and fashion sense. All designers focus on being unique, original and trendy when taking inspiration and transforming that into fashionable and wearable garments. Ebru is a Turkish art. The actual word 'Ebru' in Turkish means marbling. Marbling is the art which help designers to create innovative and rich and colorful patterns in fashion designs. By using this technique we will have countless unique designs in fashion because each design can never be repeated. It is a traditional Turkish art which is designated as one of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2014. Ebru art has spread from the East to the West by way of Silk Road and other trade routes. So this research is focused on studying the history and the techniques of Ebru art in fashion as an amazing trend of fashion, which is still stranger to the Egyptian Fashion industry; also how we can benefit from the incorporation of Ebru art as into the garments designs while still maintaining the functional and beauty purpose of the design.

Keywords: Ebru Art, Ebru techniques, fashion inspiration, fashion trends

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Authors: Adi A. Maaita, Hamza A. A. Al Sewadi

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One of the crucial parameters of digital cryptographic systems is the selection of the keys used and their distribution. The randomness of the keys has a strong impact on the system’s security strength being difficult to be predicted, guessed, reproduced or discovered by a cryptanalyst. Therefore, adequate key randomness generation is still sought for the benefit of stronger cryptosystems. This paper suggests an algorithm designed to generate and test pseudo random number sequences intended for cryptographic applications. This algorithm is based on mathematically manipulating a publically agreed upon information between sender and receiver over a public channel. This information is used as a seed for performing some mathematical functions in order to generate a sequence of pseudorandom numbers that will be used for encryption/decryption purposes. This manipulation involves permutations and substitutions that fulfills Shannon’s principle of “confusion and diffusion”. ASCII code characters wereutilized in the generation process instead of using bit strings initially, which adds more flexibility in testing different seed values. Finally, the obtained results would indicate sound difficulty of guessing keys by attackers.

Keywords: cryptosystems, information security agreement, key distribution, random numbers

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Authors: R. Niranchana, K. Meena Alias Jeyanthi

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As a result of the present climate change dilemma, the energy balancing strategy is to construct a sustainable environment has become a top concern for researchers worldwide. The environment itself has always been a solution from the earliest days of human evolution. Carbon capture begins with its accurate estimation and monitoring credit inventories, and its efficient use. Sustainable urban planning with deliverables of re-use energy models might benefit from assessment methods like biomass carbon credit ranking. The term "biomass energy" refers to the various ways in which living organisms can potentially be converted into a source of energy. The approaches that can be applied to biomass and an algorithm for evaluating carbon credits are presented in this paper. The micro-climate evaluation using Computational Fluid dynamics was carried out across the location (1 km x1 km) at Dindigul, India (10°24'58.68" North, 77°54.1.80 East). Sustainable Urban design must be carried out considering environmental and physiological convection, conduction, radiation and evaporative heat exchange due to proceeding solar access and wind intensities.

Keywords: biomass, climate assessment, urban planning, multi-regression, carbon estimation algorithm

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Authors: Berhan Fikru

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The objective of this study was to develop new complementary food from maize, soybean and moringa for young children. The complementary foods were formulated with linear programming (LP Nutri-survey software) and Faffa (corn soya blend) use as control. Analysis were made for formulated blends and compared with the control and recommended daily intake (RDI). Three complementary foods composed of maize, soya bean, moringa and sugar with ratio of 65:20:15:0, 55:25:15:5 and 65:20:10:5 for blend 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The blends were formulated based on the protein, energy, mineral (iron, zinc an calcium) and vitamin (vitamin A and C) content of foods. The overall results indicated that nutrient content of faffa (control) was 16.32 % protein, 422.31 kcal energy, 64.47 mg calcium, 3.8 mg iron, 1.87mg zinc, 0.19 mg vitamin A and 1.19 vitamin C; blend 1 had 17.16 % protein, 429.84 kcal energy, 330.40 mg calcium, 6.19 mg iron, 1.62 mg zinc, 6.33 mg vitamin A and 4.05 mg vitamin C; blend 2 had 20.26 % protein, 418.79 kcal energy, 417.44 mg calcium, 9.26 mg iron, 2.16 mg zinc, 8.43 mg vitamin A and 4.19 mg vitamin C whereas blend 3 exhibited 16.44 % protein, 417.42 kcal energy, 242.4 mg calcium, 7.09 mg iron, 2.22 mg zinc, 3.69 mg vitamin A and 4.72 mg vitamin C, respectively. The difference was found between all means statically significance (P < 0.05). Sensory evaluation showed that the faffa control and blend 3 were preferred by semi-trained panelists. Blend 3 had better in terms of its mineral and vitamin content than FAFFA corn soya blend and comparable with WFP proprietary products CSB+, CSB++ and fulfills the WHO recommendation for protein, energy and calcium. The suggested formulation with Moringa powder can therefore be used as a complementary food to improve the nutritional status and also help solve problems associated with protein energy and micronutrient malnutrition for young children in developing countries, particularly in Ethiopia.

Keywords: corn soya blend, proximate composition, micronutrient, mineral chelating agents, complementary foods

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Authors: Sarra Bouhallel, Sara Legbedj, Rima Messaoud, Sofia Saffarbatti

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In the context of global waste management and sustainable resource utilization, millets emerge as a vital yet underutilized cereal resource. Despite their exceptional nutritional profile and resilience to harsh environmental conditions, their potential remains largely untapped. This study aims to contribute to the valorization of seven Algerian pearl millet landraces (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) from the southern region by focusing on the characterization of their starches. Utilizing both conventional wet milling, incorporating sodium azide as a microbial growth inhibitor, and a novel green technology—Ultrasound-assisted isolation, we explore avenues for enhancing the functional properties of these starches. Analysis of key functional properties such as swelling power and water solubility index reveals significant enhancements, particularly during heat treatment near the gelatinization temperature [70 - 80 °C]. Furthermore, our investigation into the influence of pre-treatment methods on isolated starches highlights the potential of Ultrasound-assisted isolation in reducing absorbency and water solubility compared to conventional methods. Through rigorous data analysis using SPSS software (Version 23), we ascertain the efficiency of Ultrasound-assisted isolation, underscoring its promising role in the valorization of pearl millet waste. This research not only sheds light on the functional properties of pearl millet starch but also underscores the imperative of sustainable waste management in harnessing the full potential of underutilized cereal resources.

Keywords: isolation, solubility, starch, swelling, ultrasound

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Authors: Kedir Teji Roba, Thomas P. O’Connor, Tefera Belachew, Nora M. O’Brien

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Micronutrient deficiencies of ferritin, zinc and haemoglobin are prevalent among the mothers and their infants in developing countries. But little attention has been given to these vulnerable groups. No study has been done on co-existence of the deficiencies among lactating mothers and their breast feeding infants in two different agro-ecological zones of rural Ethiopia. Methods: Data were collected from 162 lactating mothers and their breast feeding infants (aged 6-23 months) who were living in two different agro-ecological zones. The data were collected via a structured interview, anthropometric measurements, and blood test for Zinc, ferritin and anaemia. Correlation and Chi square test were used to determine the association among nutritional status and agro ecological zones. Results: Iron deficiency was found in 44.4% of the infants and 19.8% of the mothers. Zinc deficiency was found in 72.2% of the infants and 67.3% of the mothers. Of the study subject 52.5% of the infants and 19.1% of the mothers were anaemic, and 29.6% of the infants and 10.5% of the mothers had iron deficiency anaemia. Among the mothers with iron deficiency, 81.2% and 56.2% of their children were deficient in zinc and iron respectively. Similarly, among the zinc deficient mothers, 75.2% and 45.3% of their children were deficient in zinc and iron. There was a strong correlation between the micronutrient status of the mothers and the infants on status of ferritin, zinc and anaemia (P < 0.001). There is also statistically significant association between micronutrient deficiency and agro-ecological zones among the mothers (p < 0.001) but not with their infants. Deficiency in one, two, or three, micronutrients was observed in 48.1%, 16.7% and 9.9% of the mothers and 35.8%, 29.0%, and 23.5%, of their infants respectively. Conclusion: This study shows that iron and zinc deficiencies are the prevalent micronutrient deficiencies among the lactating mothers and their infants, with variation of the magnitude across the agro-ecological zones. This finding calls for a need to design effective preventive public health nutrition programs to address both the mothers’ and their infants’ needs.

Keywords: ferritin/iron, zinc, anaemia, agroecology, malnutrition

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Authors: Aref Zribi, Sonia Ben Nasr, Sana Fendri, Mahdi Balti, Abderazzek Haddaoui

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Background: Despite their benefit, Endocrine therapies (ET) are known to have substantial adverse events (AEs) such as hot flashes, mood disorders and osteoarticular pain. ET induced alopecia(EIA) is less frequently noted by patients and is less reported in the literature. The aim of our study was to report ET alopecia characteristics and their influence on patient and treatment observance. Method: We conducted a retrospective study including luminal BC patients treated in the oncology department of the military hospital of Tunis between January 2015 and December 2020. Patients treated with previous chemotherapy-inducing alopecia were excluded. Results: 145 female patients were included. The median age was 59 years. EIA was reported in 44% of cases. Alopecia was attributed to aromatase inhibitors in 53% and tamoxifen in 21%. Severity was grade 1 in 80% and grade 2 in the remaining cases. ET discontinuation because of alopecia was noted in 6.5 % of patients. Moderate improvement of alopecia was observed with topical minoxidil and Thallium metallicum 9CH homeopathy during ET in 60% of patients. Conclusions: EIA is frequent in BC patients and should be considered to improve treatment observance and patients’ quality of life.

Keywords: endocrine therapy, alopecia, breast cancer, Tunisia

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Authors: Masood Roohi, Amir Taghavipour

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This paper describes a strategy to develop an energy management system (EMS) for a charge-sustaining power-split hybrid electric vehicle. This kind of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) benefit from the advantages of both parallel and series architecture. However, it gets relatively more complicated to manage power flow between the battery and the engine optimally. The applied strategy in this paper is based on nonlinear model predictive control approach. First of all, an appropriate control-oriented model which was accurate enough and simple was derived. Towards utilization of this controller in real-time, the problem was solved off-line for a vast area of reference signals and initial conditions and stored the computed manipulated variables inside look-up tables. Look-up tables take a little amount of memory. Also, the computational load dramatically decreased, because to find required manipulated variables the controller just needed a simple interpolation between tables.

Keywords: hybrid electric vehicles, energy management system, nonlinear model predictive control, real-time

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Authors: Onur Yel

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This study represents the removal of harmful dye substances from wastewaters by using waste and cheap adsorbents. Rapid population growth and industrialization occasion anthropogenic pollution which gives irreversible damage to the environment. One of the ways in which water pollution occurs is caused by the release of the dyestuffs in the textile industry. The release of dyestuffs to the environment directly damages the living creatures that have acquired water habitat. Especially, wastewater cannot be used for nutritional purposes. In addition, some adsorbents have mutagenic and/or carcinogenic effects. By blocking photosynthesis, it hinders the inhibition of photosynthetic bacteria in the water, which damages the ecological balance and also causes the formation of malodorous compounds. Moreover, the lack of oxygen can pose a serious danger to the lives of other living organisms that need oxygen. In recent years, some physical and chemical methods are preferred for the removal of dyestuffs. However, the utilization of these methods is expensive. For this reason, the availability of new and cheap adsorbents becomes the more significant issue. In this study, an investigation of various variables on the removal of Methylene Blue and Acid Red-88 dyestuffs from wastewaters by the usage of pulverized cypress cones has been carried out. Thus, various masses of absorbent (0.1-0.25-0.5-1-2-4-5 grams) are used in 50, 100, 150, 200, 300 ppm concentrations of Methylene Blue and Acid Red-88 dyestuffs’ solutions, and with a variety of the interaction time (0.25-0.5-1-2-4-5 hours). The mixtures were centrifuged and the absorbance of the filtrates was measured on a UV spectrophotometer to determine their remaining concentrations. In the study, the highest removal ratio of Acid Red-88 dyestuff was found to be 81% at 200 ppm of dyestuff with 2 grams of adsorbent at 300 minutes. For Methylene Blue experiments, the removal percentage was found as 98% where 2 grams of adsorbent is used in 200 ppm dyestuff solution at 120 minutes of interaction.

Keywords: acid red-88, biosorption, methylene blue, cypress cones, water pollution

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Authors: Atiya Mahmood, Mubasharah Hanif, Ghazala Butt, Mehwish Zahoor Ahmed

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Acne vulgaris affects millions of adults.Despite extensive research, its food related etiology remains elusive. Objective:To assess the correlation between dietary intake and acne through a case-control survey of 300,15-25 year old respondents living in Pakistan. 50 acne patients and 150 age-and ethnicity-matched controls completed a questionnaire.Cases and controls were separated using SPSS-22 and univariate analysis was performed using the chi-square test. p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We used adjusted odds ratios to assess the strength of associations with 95% confidence intervals. Most of the respondents were females(91.3%).Most(48.7%)acne patients were 20-25 yearsold.Acne severity was mild in 50%,moderate in 34%,severe in14%and very severe in 2%.Frequent low-fat foods(p<0.001)(OR=3.22),fat intake(p=0.03)(OR = 1.629),sweet snacks i.e. biscuits and candies etc. (p=0.013) (OR=1.9254), soft drinks(p= 0.045)(OR= 1.9091),butter(p<0.001) (OR= 1.8185),dairy products(p=0.043)(OR=0.624),salty foods(p= 0.011)(OR=1.961),chocolate (p=0.028)(OR=1.669), were associated with increased acne risk.No association was found with consumption of fried foods, desserts, fruit juices, raw fruit, fast food, vegetables, cheese, soy products, salt, and corn. Increased butter and chocolate consumption were linked to more severe forms of acne(p=0.049 and p=0.005 respectively).Most respondents (n=218) considered themselves to have healthy eating habits, indicating they were not educated about the nutritional aspects of acne treatment.Certain food item intake was significantly higher in acne patients to give an association between the two. Further studies must be conducted to develop a causative relationship. Nutrition aawareness is critical to reduce acne.

Keywords: correlation between dietary components and acne, dietary components, acne, nutrition

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Authors: Shaival Dalal, Nilesh Shah, Dinshaw Pardiwala, David Rajan, Satyen Sanghavi, Charul Bhanji

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Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) is used worldwide since 1998 to treat cartilage defect. GEL based ACI is a new tissue-engineering technique to treat full thickness cartilage defect with fibrin and thrombin as scaffold for chondrocytes. Purpose of this study is to see safety and efficacy of gel based ACI for knee cartilage defect in multiple centres with different surgeons. Gel-based Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (GACI) has shown effectiveness in treating isolated cartilage defect of knee joint. Long term results are still needed to be studied. This study was followed-up up to two years and showed benefit to patients. All enrolled patients with a mean age of 28.5 years had an average defect size of3 square centimeters, and were grade IV as per ICRS grading. All patients were followed up several times and at several intervals at 6th week, 8th week, 11th week, 17th week, 29th week, 57th week after surgery. The outcomes were measured based on the IKDC (subjective and objective) and MOCART scores.

Keywords: knee, chondrocyte, autologous chondrocyte implantation, fibrin gel based

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Authors: Soukaina Boutaky, Abdelhak Sahibeddine

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A study was carried out among students who have especially a scientific and technical educational background and who had opportunities to benefit from a program entrepreneurship course of 50 hours; at Higher School of Technology Khenifra, Morocco. This article has as a goal to explain the relationship between entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial intention. The authors chose Bandura’s theory of social cognition as a theoretical framework. The modeling methods equation is adopted to analyze the hypotheses by SMART PLS for 188 students. The results show a strong positive relationship between entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial passion. They also reveal that entrepreneurship education affects entrepreneurial intention through the effect of entrepreneurial passion, particularly among women than men. In addition, this study contributes in a theoretical way to the level of the relationship between entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial passion, and these results provide educators and public decision-makers with advice on the importance of entrepreneurship training based on emotional traits such as passion; which constitutes a key and essential element to encourage young graduates to choose an entrepreneurial career as an alternative option or to develop entrepreneurial passion among the business leaders of tomorrow.

Keywords: entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial passion, entrepreneurial intention, equation modeling methods

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Authors: Vincent Oghenekevbe Olughor, Olusoji Mayowa Ige

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Except for a preexisting liver disease and malnutrition, there are no predilections for low serum albumin (SA) levels in humans. At normal reference levels (4.0-6.0g/dl) SA is a universal marker for mortality and morbidity risks assessments where depletion by 1.0g/dl increases mortality risk by 137% and morbidity by 89%.It has 40 known functions contributing significantly to the sustenance of human life. A depletion in SA to <2.2g/dl, in most clinical settings worldwide, leads to loss of oncotic pressure of blood causing clinical manifestations of bipedal Oedema, in which the patients remain conscious. SA also contributes significantly to buffering of blood to a life-sustaining pH of 7.35-7.45. A drop in blood pH to <6.9 will lead to instant coma and death, which can occur after SA continues to deplete after manifestations of bipedal Oedema. In an intervention study conducted in 2014 following the discovery that “SA is depleted during malaria fever”, a Nutraceutical formulated for use as treatment adjunct to prevent SA depletions during malaria to <2.4g/dl after Efficacy testing was found to be satisfactory. There are five known types of Malaria caused by Apicomplexan parasites, Plasmodium: the most lethal being that caused by Plasmodium falciparum causing malignant tertian malaria, in which the fever was occurring every 48 hours coincides with the dumping of malaria-toxins (Hemozoin) into blood, causing contamination: blood must remain sterile. Other Apicomplexan parasites, Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium, are opportunistic infections of HIV. Separate studies showed SA depletions in MDRTB (multidrug resistant TB), and MDRTB-HIV patients by the same mechanism discovered with malaria and such depletions will be further complicated whenever Apicomplexan parasitic infections co-exist. Both Apicomplexan parasites and the TB parasite belong to the Obligate-group of Parasites, which are parasites that replicate only inside its host; and most of them have capacities to over-consume host nutrients during parasitaemia. In MDRTB patients the body attempts repeatedly to prevent depletions in SA to critical levels in the presence of adequate nutrients and only for a while in MDRTB-HIV patients. These groups of patients will, therefore, benefit from the already tested Nutraceutical in malaria patients. The Nutraceutical bio-Powder was formulated (to BP 1988 specification) from twelve nature-based food-grade nutrients containing all dedicated nutrients for ensuring improved synthesis of Albumin by the liver. The Nutraceutical was administered daily for 38±2days in 23 children, in a prospective phase-2 clinical trial, and its impact on body weight and core blood parameters were documented at the start and end of efficacy testing period. Sixteen children who did not experience malaria-induced depletions of SA had significant SA increase; seven children who experienced malaria-induced depletions of SA had insignificant SA decrease. The Packed Cell Volume Percentage (PCV %), a measure of the Oxygen carrying capacity of blood and the amount of nutrients the body can absorb, increased in both groups. The total serum proteins (SA+ Globulins) increased or decreased within the continuum of normal. In conclusion, MDRTB and MDRTB-HIV patients will benefit from a variant of this Nutraceutical when used as treatment adjunct.

Keywords: antitrypsin-free Nutraceutical, apicomplexan parasites, no predilections for low serum albumin, toxoplasmosis

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